TRYST // Philza X Reader

10

"Don't worry too much about weeds or anything - as long as they're not inhibiting the plants and things let them be. They're good for the bees, plus they keep the farm hidden from anyone that might be wandering through these parts." Phil said, gesturing around the riverbank. "And if you're having trouble pulling anything up don't strain, I wouldn't want you to mess up your ankle again."

You pulled the gloves on over your hands, flexing your fingers a few times. The fabric was worn thin in places, and they were a bit too big for you - these were obviously Phil's gloves. "I think I'll be alright." You said. "How hard could pulling up potatoes and carrots be?"

Phil just smiled, heading back over to where he had been working before you had wandered down from the house. "When you pull them up, just toss 'em into a pile - I'll pick 'em all up when we're done."

You went to the other end of the patch, finding a spot that Phil hadn't gotten to yet. You crouched down, sorting through the wildflowers until you found the crops, and checking the stems to see if they were mature enough to pull yet. It was easy work for the most part - the soil was soft and rich from being so close to the river, and the crops came loose easily. Soon enough, you had a sizable pile growing close by. Nothing compared to Phil's of course, but he had been working since this morning, when he had left the house originally.

You worked in silence for a few moments, just listening to the quiet commotion of the woods around you. When you looked up from the ground, you could see Phil a short distance away, steadily working through his own end of the farm. Curiosity getting the better of you again, you asked, "So is this your only source of food out here?"

Phil glanced up from the ground, light blue eyes locking onto yours for a moment. "Mainly." He said. "I've got a small spot for livestock a little ways away, but for the most part yeah, this is it."

You nodded to yourself, pulling another handful of carrots from the ground.

"It's not that impressive, but it works." Phil continued.

"I think it's nice." You said honestly. "I mean, the most experience with farming I have is the little garden patch behind my house, so by my terms this is really good. And it's cool that you got it to blend in with the rest of the forest - makes everything look more natural."

"Well, I wouldn't want anyone stumbling into it accidentally." Phil said, standing up to get some leverage as he pulled a particularly stubborn potato from the ground.

"I don't think you have to worry about that." You said. "There's not another human being out here for miles - the only reason I was wandering through was to look for you."

Phil sighed, adjusting his hat to block the sun more. "That's what I'm worried about."

You glanced over to him to see him standing with his hands on his hips, looking down at the area he had just been working through. His back was to you, but you could still see the outline of broad shoulders and the musculature of his back - he was easily the strongest man you had ever seen, no doubt from all the flying and daily farm work.

"I wouldn't be." You said, going back to your patch and pulling up another bunch of carrots. "The only reason I even knew to come here was because the king told me and gave me that compass. Who else would know how to find you?"

Phil huffed. "Some friend Etienne is." He griped. "He knows very well I'd like to be left alone, but as soon as things start looking bad for him he's scrambling for whatever help he can get." He turned around to start on another patch of ground. "He probably sent out for Herobrine too."

You scanned back through your mind, trying to remember if you had heard anything about the king sending an embassy to Herobrine's kingdom. "I'm not sure." You said. "The last thing I remember hearing about Herobrine was that he'd passed the throne onto his son."

That made Phil stop, turning to look at you. "He had a son?"

You nodded, not quite sure why Phil seemed so surprised - Herobrine's son was significantly grown by now. "Yeah." You said. "I think his name was Prince, ah... Eret? Or something? I don't really remember, but he was supposed to marry King Etienne's second born for a while. Obviously that was before the whole thing with Lord Technoblade happened-"

"Techno's married?" Phil interrupted, sounding even more confused now.

You nodded again. "The wedding was a while ago, before the war. They went to his homeland in the Nether for their honeymoon."

A strange sort of look came over Phil's face, and he tipped his head back up to the sky. "I didn't know..." He said. He sounded sort of sad when he said it - but then again, anyone would be if they found out they'd missed so many milestones in their friend's lives.

"Well," You started, tossing another bunch of carrots into your pile. "The whole point of you pretty much disappearing was to get everyone to forget about you, right?"

Phil pursed his lips. "Yeah. Less trouble that way..."

"I mean, it worked." You said, joking a little.

Phil didn't laugh though, just walking back over to the pile of potatoes he had been pulling and beginning to pile them into his arms. "That should be enough for now." He said. "I'll show you where I bring them to clean 'em off."

You stopped, tossing the last carrot that you had pulled into the pile and going over to scoop all of them up into your arms. Phil started back across the bridge, arms piled high with potatoes, and you hurried after him, trying not to let any of your carrots spill out.